Cybersecurity and online privacy expert and researcher. He's been published on OpenVPN, EC-Council Blog, DevSecOps, AT-T Business, SAP Community, etc. Dean has been testing VPNs for 8 years.
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During your regular internet usage, you may sometimes experience a painfully slow internet connection. At that point, you can no longer enjoy your online TV shows due to buffering or low quality, your downloads become quite slow, and online gaming lags.
In most cases, this happens because your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is throttling your internet connection. This can happen for various reasons, but all in all, it is quite frustrating – especially if you have paid for high-speed internet access. The good thing is there’s something you can do about it and maximize your online experience. This guide will show you the best way to stop ISP throttling and enjoy your high-speed internet without restrictions.
The guide will also explore:
Table of Contents:
ISP throttling is an intentional technique that ISPs use to restrict bandwidth accessible to a particular user.
Throttling may depend on various factors that the ISP sets. When restricting the internet connection, ISPs filter what is to be throttled and what isn’t. This can be done through traffic differentiation or prioritization.
ISP throttling results in fast lanes and slow lanes, just like on highways. Fast lanes allow unthrottled traffic and can include some prioritization. Slow lanes carry throttled traffic, and this is where you experience a slow internet connection.
To understand how to deal with ISP throttling, below are the various types of connection restrictions that ISP imposes.
ISPs usually throttle activities that are either speed or bandwidth-intensive. These activities include streaming (Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO, YouTube, Hulu, among others), online gaming (Destiny 2, Fortnite, CS:GO, etc.), and filesharing.
Online activities that are often spared include web browsing, social media, and VoIP services such as Skype, Zoom, among others.
A slow internet connection and a throttled internet connection may look the same. It gets worse since a slow internet connection may indicate throttling. However, before you conclude that a slow internet connection is a sign that you’re being throttled, ensure that the issue is not on your side.
If you don’t have a bad internet connection, your slow internet is probably caused by ISP throttling. You might experience the following telltale signs:
Indicators can be wrong at times. For instance, if a torrent site is down, you won’t be able to download content. To make sure it’s ISP throttling, here are some tests you can perform on your internet.
If you have paid for 100 Mbps and the speed test results show significantly lower values, then your ISP is throttling your internet at that moment.
If there’s a massive speed increase while using a VPN, then your ISP is throttling your connection.
Using a VPN is the most reliable to stop ISP throttling. It is also the most effective tool for improving your online security, privacy, and speed.
For your ISP to throttle your internet connection, they must see what you are doing online. To achieve this, they use various techniques such as deep packet inspection (DPI) and analyzing tools to determine your type of traffic.
When you use a VPN, it encrypts your entire traffic and prevents your ISP from knowing what you are accessing. The only thing they can tell is that you are connected to a VPN, and so they won’t be able to impose any restrictions.
This means that when you power on your VPN, you will be able to unlock all your bandwidth. You will also be able to bypass geo-restrictions and gain access to blocked content.
It’s important to note that in some countries, ISPs block the use of VPNs. In such a case, you will need to use a VPN that offers an obfuscation/ scramble feature. A recommendation here is Surfshark or NordVPN.
Here’s a procedure on how to bypass ISP throttling in a few minutes:
From there, you can enjoy a private, anonymous, secure, and unrestricted connection.
A VPN won’t help you bypass your data plan/bundle quota (bandwidth capping). This is because your ISP keeps a profile on how much data you use. Even though your ISP won’t know what you’re doing when using a VPN, you won’t be allowed to exceed your quota. Some ISPs will disconnect your internet connection when you hit your quota.
However, a VPN might bypass bandwidth capping when a soft data cap is used. This is possible if your ISP offers a plan where speeds reduce after hitting a set quota, something common with unlimited data plans. For instance, after 500GB, you might get a speed cap of 3 Mbps. A VPN might be able to increase your speeds, but this is not guaranteed.
Free VPNs are enticing, but they won’t help you stop ISP throttling in the long run. This is because free VPNs also throttle your bandwidth – they offer limited bandwidth, and some impose speed caps. You will bypass ISP throttling for a while, but the VPN will start to throttle your connection once you hit the set limit. Most free VPNs naturally cap speeds even during the first use.
Nonetheless, there are a few reliable free VPNs that can increase your security and privacy. Note that most free VPNs cover their operational cost by either pushing ads or selling your data to third parties. On top of that, the ads may contribute to a significant data overhead, and you will hit your limit faster.
Another reason why a free VPN may not help you stop ISP throttling is that they offer limited servers that are already congested, and most of them also lack the ability to bypass restriction blocks.
A VPN is the most reliable means of bypassing ISP throttling. However, there are a few other methods you can try.
Most ISP’s throttle your bandwidth to save money. Since they don’t want to upgrade to meet the incessant internet demand, throttling enables them to cater to all subscribers. Here are other top reasons for internet throttling:
Additionally, other companies may pay the ISP to enable fast lanes to their services. As a result, some users will be throttled and experience slower connection speeds.
Net neutrality regulations vouch for an open internet for everyone through its principle of an equal internet for all users and activities. That is, ISPs should not block, throttle, or allow paid prioritization on their service or discriminate against certain users or activities. However, most net neutrality regulations have failed to take hold, and ISPs argue that net neutrality could hinder innovation and even service delivery.
This means that, in most countries, ISPs are allowed to throttle your internet connection.
ISP throttling slows your internet connection, and this can result in a poor online experience. While some reasons such as ensuring efficient service delivery to everyone in peak hours may make sense, it still remains a huge inconvenience.
The good thing is you can stop ISP throttling and enhance your online experience. The best way to do that is through a reliable VPN, as it hides all your activities from the ISP. If you choose your VPN well, you'll also improve your online privacy and security and even bypass geo-restrictions and censorships put in place by the ISP.
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